*Official* New Zealand in Zimbabwe 2025 (Tests)

[Zinzan]

Any word on how serious O'Rourke's back injury is?

I read it was just some tightness & just precautionary to take him off considering NZ were always going to win at that point. Hopefully he'll be right for the 2nd Test starting Thursday

 

[NZTailender]

I think the more telling thing is that Nicholls' last test before this was December 2023. It's not like he was in the XI and the coach didn't want to upset the group by immediately dropping him as soon as he took over, he's actually gone out of his way to bring him back.

Yeah it is pretty poor. Wonder what the logic is when Kelly and Chapman are available. One more look at the PS leading run scorer?

 

[vandem]

Yeah it is pretty poor. Wonder what the logic is when Kelly and Chapman are available. One more look at the PS leading run scorer?

Tbf Nicholls had highest Plunket Shield average in 2024-25. 464 runs @ 116.00. Passed 50 in 5 of his 6 innings.

Highest run scorer Kelly averaged 57, passed 50 in 5 of his 14 innings. Second highest run scorer Mariu averaged 74, passed 50 in 5 of his 11 innings. Other batter backup options from recent NZ squads were Hay who averaged 60 and passed 50 in 3 of his 5 innings, and Chapman had only 3 Plunket Shield innings, big 200 on flat EPOO (where Canty replied with 3-446) and two failures.

So you could argue that Nicholls won the back up batter spot on (1) best domestic form and (2) test experience.

 

[_Ed_]

Blackcaps

Squad News | Nathan Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the Zimbabwe Test series with an abdominal injury. Zak Foulkes, who recently played in the T20I Tri-Series against Zimbabwe and...

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[anonymouskefe]

Blackcaps

Squad News | Nathan Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the Zimbabwe Test series with an abdominal injury. Zak Foulkes, who recently played in the T20I Tri-Series against Zimbabwe and...

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Lister is intersting

 

[NZTailender]

Lister is intersting

The left hand aspect imo

I was a big fan of Lister a few years ago. When hes on song he can look excellent. Fell away quite a bit from that point though.

 

[NZTailender]

Anyway Duffy should make his debut but tbh I'm keen to see Fisher. If they take it autiously with O'Rourke we might have a double debut test

 

[Skyliner]

Anyway Duffy should make his debut but tbh I'm keen to see Fisher. If they take it cautiously with O'Rourke we might have a double debut test

I think they'll rest O'Rourke. Imagine if he ended up with a stress fracture bowling against Zimbabwe after having issues with back stiffness in the previous test. The criticism would be off the charts. We can't afford to take any chances.
If there are question marks over the experience levels of our seam attack then they might play 4 quicks to cover bases.
Lots of permutations with selections as Bracewell has now left the group and flown to England and Latham should be right for this test.

 

[NZTailender]

I think they'll rest O'Rourke. Imagine if he ended up with a stress fracture bowling against Zimbabwe after having issues with back stiffness in the previous test. The criticism would be off the charts. We can't afford to take any chances.
If there are question marks over the experience levels of our seam attack then they might play 4 quicks to cover bases.
Lots of permutations with selections as Bracewell has now left the group and flown to England and Latham should be right for this test.

Resting O'Rourke, a huge talent, is a no brainer for mine. When you have a long history of seamers breaking down in a slight breeze there's no reason to risk him in a series that we draw at worst with no WTC points on the line.

I'd like to see

1. Latham*
2. Conway
3. Young
4. Ravindra
5. Mitchell
6. Blundell+
7. Santner
8. Henry
9. Duffy
10. Patel
11. Fisher

 

[Immenso]

Resting O'Rourke, a huge talent, is a no brainer for mine. When you have a long history of seamers breaking down in a slight breeze there's no reason to risk him in a series that we draw at worst with no WTC points on the line.

I'd like to see

1. Latham*
2. Conway
3. Young
4. Ravindra
5. Mitchell
6. Blundell+
7. Santner
8. Henry
9. Duffy
10. Patel
11. Fisher

That should be the 11.

Foulkes and Lister' trips should be just an expensive fluorescent vest wearing exercise.

There is the possibility they play Foulkes instead of Ajaz in a 'not wanting a long tail' decision. But, c'mon.

But most likely, it will be a chance to move the young tyro from the difficult number 3 position he played in the first test, to the cushy number 6 position. The playing 11 that the Player's Association would prefer.

 

[Skyliner]

There's a strong chance they will go in with 4 seamers. Being reduced to a seam attack of Henry and Mitchell in the first test will have put the wind up them. Santner showed he could hold down the spin side of the equation with Bracewell being pretty ineffectual.

 

[NZTailender]

Weak if so

O'Rourke going down is a bit of a known quantity but Smith getting an injury whilst batting is less predictable.

Fisher would probably be the one to go down if picked, whilst Duffy could probably walk through a brick wall and be fine imo

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I wouldn't mind Foulkes playing - which might happen given his batting. Not that Duffy's a complete slouch mind.

If Lister gets in ahead of Fisher or Duffy, that would be less satisfactory.

 

[ataraxia]

Foulkes' batting suffered went he first moved to domestic level, but he's been looking more like the proper all-rounder Canterbury have seen him as (playing him as opener, batting him above Shipley and Frew) in recent times. Might be worth a shot over Fisher.

 

[thierry henry]

Is Duffy actually banging down the door for a test debut? Obviously he's been great in ODI and T20I cricket, seems like an improved bowler, and his domestic white ball numbers are also good. I haven't gotten into the weeds of his red ball numbers (probably rendering this post completely redundant) but obviously his career stats are middling to poor-ish.

Is he maybe just actually a white ball guy who isn't terribly hard done by to have not played tests?

 

[thierry henry]

All purely hypothetical probably as Duffy must be odds on to play. Foulkes and Fisher for the future would be the bolder and less Steady Steady move though.

 

[ataraxia]

Is Duffy actually banging down the door for a test debut? Obviously he's been great in ODI and T20I cricket, seems like an improved bowler, and his domestic white ball numbers are also good. I haven't gotten into the weeds of his red ball numbers (probably rendering this post completely redundant) but obviously his career stats are middling to poor-ish.

Is he maybe just actually a white ball guy who isn't terribly hard done by to have not played tests?

Duffy isn't the mediocre FC bowler his average suggests; that's more of a reflection that he traditionally yo-yos between good and bad seasons (link). Given he's the world's number one T20I bowler – and the only pacer in the top 8 – he's clearly on a good run right now. I'm minded to think that if NZ can catch him on that high, perhaps it will persist.

 

[Immenso]

Is Duffy actually banging down the door for a test debut? Obviously he's been great in ODI and T20I cricket, seems like an improved bowler, and his domestic white ball numbers are also good. I haven't gotten into the weeds of his red ball numbers (probably rendering this post completely redundant) but obviously his career stats are middling to poor-ish.

Is he maybe just actually a white ball guy who isn't terribly hard done by to have not played tests?

I think he hasn't been hard done by, but I don't think he's just a white ball guy.

Over the course of his career, I don't judge him as being unlucky. Even 'the unluckiest' he got, in the Mt Maunganui pink ball test with "Trent just up the road at home" when they went with the bang-it-in bowlers, I dont think he was banging the door down. And that must be only 2 and half years ago?

But in tbe last 18 months I think he's got it all together. Visibly has his pace back up to what it should be. Plus all the other skills and experience. Plus good vibes of nailing it currently in white ball.

 

[thierry henry]

Duffy isn't the mediocre FC bowler his average suggests; that's more of a reflection that he traditionally yo-yos between good and bad seasons (link). Given he's the world's number one T20I bowler – and the only pacer in the top 8 – he's clearly on a good run right now. I'm minded to think that if NZ can catch him on that high, perhaps it will persist.

Some good seasons in there but not quite banging the door down? Nevertheless the selectors have obviously been sold on him enough to have him around the squad for a couple of years so that horse has already bolted. I guess I'm just retrospectively realising that earlier non-selections were not quite the outrage I might've thought on purely cricketing grounds (of course, when you're competing with a ***o-adjacent it's no longer just a cricket question).

 

[SteveNZ]

I think Duffy absolutely has the tools to be a good Test bowler. He's not been one because probably a) the worst era to be an NZ pace bowler behind the quality we've had (even Matt Henry couldn't get a go for a long time) and b) he had FC seasons where he averaged 23 then 43.

I'm stoked he might get a go.